﻿6C0 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Oysters 
  are 
  mostly 
  gathered 
  at 
  low 
  tide, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  

   exposed. 
  They 
  are 
  j^ut 
  in 
  sacks 
  of 
  215 
  pounds 
  each, 
  the 
  uniform 
  price 
  

   being- 
  $.5.50 
  a 
  sack 
  during 
  1895. 
  In 
  past 
  years 
  Hoods 
  Canal 
  produced 
  

   several 
  thousand 
  sacks 
  of 
  oysters 
  a 
  year, 
  but 
  from 
  overworking 
  and 
  

   lack 
  of 
  care 
  the 
  oysters 
  have 
  been 
  almost 
  exterminated, 
  the 
  entire 
  prod- 
  

   uct 
  from 
  the 
  canal 
  being 
  only 
  50 
  sacks 
  in 
  1895. 
  In 
  1895 
  Mason 
  County 
  

   produced 
  4,436 
  sacks, 
  valued 
  at 
  $11,090; 
  Thurston 
  County 
  produced 
  

   2,417 
  sacks, 
  worth 
  $0,042. 
  

  

  CLALLAM 
  AND 
  JEFFERSON 
  COUNTIES. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  counties, 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  north- 
  

   west 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Fuca, 
  

   present 
  but 
  few 
  new 
  features. 
  The 
  large 
  bodies 
  of 
  salmon 
  that 
  enter 
  

   the 
  straits 
  are 
  mostly 
  permitted 
  to 
  pass 
  on 
  up 
  the 
  straits 
  and 
  sound 
  

   nearer 
  to 
  large 
  markets 
  and 
  railroads 
  before 
  receiving 
  much 
  attention 
  

   from 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  only 
  fishing 
  business 
  of 
  note 
  is 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  catch 
  

   and 
  the 
  salmon 
  fishery 
  for 
  one 
  cannery. 
  

  

  The 
  seal 
  fishery 
  of 
  Clallam 
  County 
  is 
  represented 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Port. 
  

  

  Vessels. 
  

  

  Tons. 
  

  

  Seals. 
  

  

  Value. 
  

  

  Neah 
  Bay 
  

  

  Port 
  Antjeles 
  , 
  

  

  234. 
  52 
  

   66.34 
  

  

  3,029 
  

   123 
  

  

  $29, 
  446 
  

   922 
  

  

  The 
  i!^eah 
  Bay 
  vessels 
  are 
  owned 
  and 
  worked 
  by 
  Indians, 
  the 
  largest 
  

   catch 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  vessels 
  being 
  1,308 
  seals, 
  of 
  $13,277 
  value. 
  

  

  A 
  salmon 
  cannery 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  Port 
  Angeles 
  in 
  1892, 
  too 
  late 
  for 
  

   business 
  that 
  season. 
  The 
  following 
  year 
  the 
  pack 
  was 
  only 
  150 
  cases 
  

   of 
  clams. 
  In 
  1894 
  it 
  was 
  idle, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  the 
  first 
  pack 
  of 
  salmon 
  was 
  

   made, 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  amounting 
  to 
  22,100 
  cases, 
  the 
  gross 
  

   weight 
  of 
  salmon 
  used 
  being 
  1,459,520 
  pounds. 
  This 
  salmon 
  was 
  taken 
  

   off 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Clallam 
  County, 
  in 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  off 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  

   King 
  and 
  Skagit, 
  and 
  in 
  Hoods 
  Canal, 
  Mason 
  County. 
  

  

  The 
  harbor 
  of 
  Dungeness 
  is 
  noted 
  for 
  its 
  abundance 
  of 
  crabs, 
  which 
  

   are 
  fished 
  for 
  by 
  20 
  men, 
  the 
  catch 
  being 
  made 
  by 
  long-handled 
  rakes 
  

   from 
  boats. 
  The 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  0,240 
  dozen, 
  or 
  112,320 
  

   pounds 
  weight. 
  Crabs 
  find 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  at 
  Seattle, 
  from 
  which 
  place 
  

   they 
  are 
  distributed 
  through 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  Port 
  Townsend 
  is 
  the 
  fishing 
  center 
  of 
  Jefferson 
  County. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  harbors, 
  but 
  lacks 
  

   quick 
  transportation 
  and 
  railroad 
  facilities. 
  Two 
  vessels 
  of 
  100.29 
  

   total 
  tonnage 
  in 
  the 
  seal 
  fishery 
  took, 
  in 
  1895, 
  579 
  seals, 
  worth 
  $5,328. 
  

   Quite 
  a 
  little 
  fleet 
  of 
  cat, 
  slooj), 
  and 
  schooner 
  rigged 
  boats 
  are 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  the 
  general 
  fisheries. 
  Of 
  these 
  boats, 
  44 
  in 
  number, 
  only 
  7 
  were 
  over 
  

   5 
  tons, 
  or 
  just 
  about 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  carry 
  custom-house 
  papers. 
  Their 
  

   aggregate 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  912,435 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  of 
  $10,724 
  value, 
  

   all 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  sold 
  fresh, 
  mostly 
  at 
  Seattle. 
  

  

  